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Cubs Counter Sabathia Deal With Trade for Harden

On Monday the Milwaukee Brewers added an ace, extracting reigning A.L. Cy Young winner CC Sabathia from the wreckage of the Cleveland Indians’ season. On Tuesday the Brewers’ NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs, tried to match that ace, sending a package of players to the Oakland A’s for Rich Harden. The Brewers now have a one-two punch of Mr. Sabathia and Ben Sheets, while the Cubs can counter with Carlos Zambrano and Mr. Harden.

CC Sabathia won in his first start for the Brewers. Can rival ace Rich Harden follow suit with the Cubs? (Associated Press Photo)

Mr. Sabathia won his first decision in Brewer purple (or dark blue, or whatever that is), walking five over six innings but also giving up just two runs in a 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. (The Cubs also won, leaving the Brewers four back, with the overachieving St. Louis Cardinals between them.) Mr. Harden will start Friday or Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, and unlike Mr. Sabathia, is signed through 2009. But Mr. Harden comes with physical concerns — while he’s made 11 starts in a row, he’s also made six trips to the disabled list in a six-year career. And in a town which remembers all too well the flameouts of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior as starters, that’s scary.

In the Chicago Tribune, Rick Morrissey calls Mr. Harden “a very nice consolation prize, but not Door No. 1, not the top option that would have ensured the Cubs a spot in the World Series. Rich Harden is not CC Sabathia, but the only question that really matters right now is whether he’s enough to tip the balance of power in the National League Central clearly back toward the Cubs. He is. If he stays healthy. It’s an ‘if’ that shops in a big and tall store.”

Mr. Morrissey writes that “the Cubs-Brewers showdown could end up being a battle of attrition. Milwaukee’s other star pitcher, Ben Sheets, has a history of injuries that makes Harden’s look like amateur hour. Or Sabathia finally could eat himself into oblivion. Who knows? So many possibilities. So much drama ahead. As long as it doesn’t involve Harden waking up with a sore shoulder one morning, drama is good.”

The drama comes with amusing sniping back and forth. The Chicago Sun-Times has taken to calling Milwaukee a “hamlet,” with both Jay Mariotti and Rick Telander peddling that dismissive term; in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Michael Hunt describes his town as a “smaller, yet imminently more livable and congenial city — the one that has three World Series appearances to none for the Cubs since World War II” in an aside to his loving chronicle of Mr. Sabathia’s reception at Miller Park: “When Sabathia took the mound for the first time as a Brewer, let’s just say you could hear it all the way down to a certain decrepit stadium. Which is another aspect of The Trade. If it makes Cubs fans sweat just a little pinot noir through their pompous pores, all the better.”

What about the Cardinals? They’ve been a surprise in the NL Central, but when it comes to one-two punches, they have, um, Kyle Lohse and Braden Looper. Your move, John Mozeliak — but the Cardinals have to be realistic about what the second half may hold for them.

On Viva El Birdos, Aaron Schafer writes that “I find myself with decidedly mixed feelings regarding [the Harden] deal. I’ve said all along that I wanted the Cardinals to be patient, not make any rash deals that would compromise the future in any way. I’ve also spoken at great length about the need to avoid players who have health risks. I’m tired of looking at the Cardinals’ disabled list and seeing half of their rotation there. All of that being said, I still can’t help the way I feel this morning. One of my very favourite pitchers in all of baseball got traded to the Cubs, and when I look at the package they gave up, I get the distinct feeling that the Cards could have easily done just as well without hurting themselves.”

* * *

A’s General Manager Billy Beane traded away Mr. Harden despite just being five games back of the [Confounding Geographic Mash-Up] Angels. That has fans wondering if Mr. Beane is giving up on this year by dumping his best starter, or if the package he got back — young starting pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton and two prospects — will let the A’s keep contending this year and prove a wise investment in years to come.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Ray Ratto warns A’s fans: “Don’t get your hopes up on this one. Beane has done everything but yell ‘Geronimo!’ as he leaps from the plane. Beane’s history suggests that his in-season deals start modestly but end up bringing in someone of stature for a second-half run (2007 being an exception to the rule, for good reason). This one, though, is not an upgrade by any understandable measure.”

In the Contra Costa Times, Cam Inman acknowledges that “en route to the postseason, Harden might find himself pitching against one-time A’s ace Mark Mulder, now of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs’ fierce rivals. Or maybe Harden will be pitching against one-time A’s ace Tim Hudson, now of the Atlanta Braves. Come the National League playoffs, Harden might oppose one-time A’s ace Dan Haren, now of the Arizona Diamondbacks. (We’ll hold off on any potential postseason matchup with one-time A’s ace Barry Zito, unless the Giants pull off a second-half miracle.) Yes, pity the A’s fan who’s seen so many aces disappear up so many other teams’ sleeves. But A’s fans should embrace Tuesday’s trade. Don’t cry the same ol’ tired tune of how the A’s ship out too many stars, not when so many of those loyalty-testing trades actually work out in the A’s favor.”

* * *

Los Angeles Clippers fans rejoiced when Baron Davis left the Golden State Warriors for Southern California. But the time for rejoicing has passed: Elton Brand has reached an oral agreement to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers for a reported five years, and immediately after that Corey Maggette agreed to a five-year deal with the Warriors. The Clippers had little intention of keeping Mr. Maggette, but the loss of Mr. Brand hurts badly — and is puzzling, considering he helped recruit Mr. Davis.

In the Los Angeles Times, Mark Heisler tries to figure out what went wrong, while absolving the usual suspect: “I know what you’re thinking, but they didn’t lose Elton Brand because owner Donald T. Sterling couldn’t be reached or wouldn’t come up with the money. It looks as if they lost Brand because he wanted out, which came as a shock since he always seemed true Clippers red, white and blue. … Technically, Brand took a bigger offer from the 76ers, $82 million to the Clippers’ $75 million. However, with Sterling giving his basketball people a blank check, the Clippers were going to dump enough players to get to $81 million. That offer was never relayed to Brand. The Clippers say at the end, agent David Falk stopped returning their calls. Whether the imperious Falk, who once represented Michael Jordan, did this for revenge or just because it felt good is a mystery.”

* * *

“There are months of delays and unreturned calls,” he recalls. “When favored with the courtesy of a response, the communication is annoying in the extreme. Can you send your questions in advance? Can you embed references to the products of Anna’s various sponsors in whatever you write? That would really help speed the process! Finally, after more than a year, I am granted a 10-minute session at a hotel in New Jersey where Kournikova is being paid a prince(cess)ly fee to play in a weekend tennis exhibition. Monitored by yet another handler, Kournikova spends the excruciating session chomping on pink gum, staring at her nails, and performing a nimble feat of dialogue by giving yes/no answers to questions that begin with the word ‘how.’ ”

Recently, Mr. Wertheim tried again — and the experience was rather different.

– Tip of the Fix cap to reader Don Hartline.

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Comments (5 of 6)

You're not that bitter, Jace. I became a Cards fan after the Expos moved to Washington — I went to college in the St. Louis area — and I didn't pick STL to make the playoffs this season in the Daily Fix baseball contest. So far I'm right on one pick, though: I picked Washington to finish with baseball's worst record.

5:20 pm July 9, 2008

Jason Russell wrote:

Mr. Fry: I didn't mean to shoot the messenger. I should have mentioned that my first reaction to the Harden news was, "What are the Cards going to do in response?" By quoting Hummel, I was trying to point out that, even with big name trades, it doesn't usually mean squat for the fall classic.
I feel better now...and yes, it will be interesting to see what the NL Central standings are on, say, Labor Day.

Editor Comment

3:56 pm July 9, 2008

jasonfry wrote:

Re "overachieving," it's probably just the bitter Met fan in me talking. Still, it'll be interesting to see if the Cards can keep it up in the second half with that patchwork pitching staff.

Re Milwaukee/Chicago, don't shoot the messenger. That was Hunt talking!

3:36 pm July 9, 2008

Betty McDonald wrote:

"Pinot Noir in our pompous pores?" As the former great Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray once said, "I'm a Cub fan and a Bud fan and I hope you are too!" Lose the Milwaukee inferiority complex...who would view Milwaukee as a more "liveable" city over Chicago? Not many.

3:24 pm July 9, 2008

Jason Russell wrote:

As a Cardinals fan, I certainly noticed the label "overachieving." The Cardinals are currently three wins better than their expected won/loss record; the Angels are six games better. Are they overachieving too? Sure, I'll admit the Cardinals are playing better than I expected, but does that mean they are overachieving? Is it because of how the team has performed compared to what the "experts" predicted? If that's the case, what label do we apply to the Rays?

As for what the Cardinals should do in the wake of these two trades, Rick Hummel had a great article in today's Post-Dispatch. The punch line: Since 1977 when Mike Torrez, an early-season acquisition from Oakland, pitched the clinching game of the New York Yankees' World Series triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers, only one starting pitcher acquired during the season has won a World Series game in that season.

"That would be none other than the Cardinals' Jeff Weaver..., who pitched the clincher in 2006."

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